Sensory preference for high fat foods and consumption of high fat foods are risk factors for a number of medical conditions, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer, and gallbladder disease. Our long term goal is to elucidate the role of the long chain fatty acid (LCFA) transporter CD36 (which is expressed in taste buds and serves as a taste receptor) in food perception, choice, and consumption. Our hypothesis is that CD36-mediated sensing of LCFA affects people's food preferences, choices, and consumption. The purpose of this proposal is to lay the groundwork for a careful examination of CD36-mediated LCFA taste perception in normal and obese individuals. The specific aims are to: 1. Develop appropriate edible materials for the evaluation of LCFA taste and preference in humans. We will evaluate simple oil/water emulsions, dairy, and soy milk based beverages so that we can present palatable samples which will not provide olfactory or tactile differences between LCFA-containing and control samples. 2. Develop appropriate protocols for evaluation of LCFA perception and effects in normal and obese individuals. Pilot studies using a trained expert taste panel will enable us to identify the appropriate levels of LCFA, sample presentation and assessment methodology. 3. Develop suitable protocols for studying CD36 variation in normal and obese individuals. Results of these studies will provide an understanding of the extent to which LCFAs affect human preference for high fat foods. Relevance to public health: Long chain fatty acids are usually present in high fat foods as triglycerides; the amount present as free fatty acids is highly variable and usually is not measured. In the free form, these fatty acids trigger taste receptors on the tongue which may contribute to the palatability and, therefore, the amount of consumption, of high fat foods. We plan to determine how humans respond to these fatty acids, examine differences in perception between normal and obese individuals, and therefore be able to modify perception and fat intake, which will help to decrease obesity. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]